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One of the most popular Thai dishes which is really easy and quick to make. Spicy, healthy and light, it’s very rare that a dish fits in well in all these three categories which is what makes it so popular. So here you go:-

Serves – 4

Ingredients:

Oil – 1 tbsp

Red Curry Paste – 2-3 tbsp (you can follow this recipe to make it at home)

Coconut Milk – 1 can (14oz/400ml each)

Thai Chilies – 2 finely chopped

Brown Sugar – 2 tbsp

Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce – 1 tbsp

Baby corn-1/2 cup

Red Bell Pepper – 1/4, sliced

Green Bell Pepper – 1/2, sliced

Mushrooms – 1/4 cup

Broccoli – 1/2 cup

Tofu or Chicken Breasts- 1/2 cup

lemon grass -1 stalk finely chopped

Green Onions – 5 stalks finely chopped

Garlic Cloves – 3-4 minced

Basil Leaves – 1 bunch and some extra for garnishing

Method:

In a pan, heat the oil. Once hot, add garlic and chilies and sauté for a few seconds. Add in the red curry paste and mix well.

Add the coconut milk and mix again. Then add in the sugar, soy sauce or fish sauce.

If you are making a non-vegetarian dish, then add the chicken now, cover and allow chicken to cook partially.

If you are making it a vegetarian dish, skip steps 3 and add the vegetables to the gravy. Add baby corn, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, lemon grass and mushrooms. (Leave broccoli at this stage.)

Let it cook for a minutes and then add tofu.

Add the basil leaves and cook for another 3-5 minutes. And then add broccoli.

Cook till chicken / tofu is cooked.

Garnish with a few more Thai Basil Leaves and serve hot with some steamed rice.

Another one of my absolute favorites-Spicy Masala Chicken curry or Dhabe wala Chicken(as I prefer to call it). This amazing Indian Curry dish is spicy, full of flavor, has rich thick gravy and is mouthwateringly aromatic. Even though I’m always in favor of healthier and seemingly less fatty alternatives but there are certain dishes where I just don’t compromise on flavor and stick to its true original recipe and this dish is definitely one of those. So here is the recipe –

Add broth or water and cream to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add the chicken. Simmer, partially covered, skimming occasionally, until chicken is almost done and liquid is slightly thickened, approximately 1hr.

Add potatoes to the pan and cook, partially covered, until potatoes are fork-tender, chicken is fully cooked, and liquid is thick enough to coat a spoon.

Top with yogurt and mint, and serve with naan, flatbread, or rice.

(For best result, if you are using leg pieces you should saute the chicken for 7-8 mins in a separate pan before adding to the broth.)

I’ve always wondered what exactly is French cuisine and what differentiates it from Italian cuisine as wine and cheese form a major part of both styles and both have a very rich and subtle pallet. After a little research, it turns out that during medieval times French cuisine was highly influenced by Italian cuisine and as centuries went by, it slowly got rid of its italian influence and developed its own unique style.

I wanted to try one of the classic french dishes called Poulet a L’estragon which is Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine sauce.

Heat the garlic oil in a frying pan or Dutch oven that has a lid and in which the chicken breasts will fit pretty snugly. Add the scallions, stir, then sprinkle in the freeze-dried tarragon, stir again and cook them in the garlic oil for a minute, stirring some more as they cook.

Put the chicken fillets into the pan, curved side down, and cook for 5 minutes, watching the scallions don’t burn. If they look like they’re beginning to, scrape them from the pan and let them sit on the chicken pieces.

Turn over the breasts, and add the white wine (or vermouth). Let the wine bubble up, then add the salt. Put the lid on, turn the heat down low and leave it to simmer gently for 10 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through by making a small cut into the thickest part and ensuring the juices run clear – if not, simmer for a few minutes longer and check again.

Remove the chicken breasts to warmed plates. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil, add the cream and stir well, then sprinkle in the fresh tarragon, stir again and give a good grind of white pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and give a final scattering of tarragon to serve.

Needless to say, the recipe turned out to be pretty awesome, my husband couldn’t believe I made this at home.;) The beauty of this recipe is that it has the perfect balance of flavors with such minimal ingredients and each playing a subtle role in bringing out its richness. And as Nigella suggests, relish the remaining gravy by scooping out every last bit of it with some nice fresh French Loaf, I loved it. This is definitely one of those dishes which makes me feel that I can never have enough of it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did..:)

So this was our second valentine since we got married and I had planned a surprise meal for my husband. But as usual nothing went as planned. Just a day before valentine, there was a snowstorm here in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, so we couldn’t leave the house. I wanted some alone time so that I could prepare everything, but to make things more difficult, my husband was asked to work from home that day. Yes, I was excited to have him all to myself but I wanted my plan to somehow work too. I desperately wanted him out of the house for atleast an hour, but such a lazy bum he is, he refused to budge even after all my excuses. Luckily we ran out of milk and that is an emergency situation in our house as both of us are big Coffee freaks, so finally he had to step out.

I had some chicken breasts in the freezer so this was the quickest recipe that I could prepare in that time frame and with the things that were available in the house. Here it goes-